Service for Lillian Miles Lewis Announced

Funeral services for Mrs. Lillian Miles Lewis, wife of Georgia 5th District Rep. and civil rights pioneer John Lewis, will be held at 11:00 a.m. on Monday January 7, at Ebenezer Baptist Church, 407 Auburn Avenue, Atlanta, 30312.Rep. Lewis and his wife were married in the church in 1968.

Those who wish to send flowers are encouraged to do so and until Sunday January 6, flowers may be sent to the Willie A. Watkins Funeral Home, 1003 Ralph David Abernathy Boulevard, SW, Atlanta, GA 30310, 404-758-1731. After Sunday, flowers should be sent directly to Ebenezer Baptist Church.

Rep. John Lewis’ office has said that condolences may be expressed “in any form an individual may desire. “

In lieu of flowers, donations are being accepted by the American Kidney Fund on behalf of Mrs. Lewis. They should be made payable to the American Kidney Fund and sent by mail to the American Kidney Fund Headquarters, 11921 Rockville Pike, Suite 300, Rockville, MD 20852. In all correspondence and as a memo on the donation itself, please indicate that the funds are a Memorial Donation for Mrs. Lillian Miles Lewis to benefit the AKF office in the state of Georgia.

Online donations can also be accepted at this link http://www.kidneyfund.org/give-now/gifts-in-memory/ , and when prompted, online donors should note the funds are made in memorial to Mrs. Lillian Miles Lewis.

John and Lillian met in 1967 at a New Year’s Eve party and were married one year later.

In his memoir, “Walking With the Wind,” Lewis recalled how his wife helped him decide to run for Congress and became his chief adviser.

“She had always been very involved in politics, much more than I. She had been a delegate (supporting Shirley Chisholm) to the Democratic National Convention in ’72, and she was constantly active in a variety of local circles and organizations. She was outgoing, involved, intelligent and great in front of an audience — she could make a speech. She also knew how to organize, how to chair a meeting, the nitty-gritty stuff. When she finally said, ‘Let’s do it. Let’s go for it,’ that was enough. We were in,” Lewis wrote.

Aides said Lewis flew home to Atlanta Monday to be with his family.

The couple was married for 44 years and had one son, John Miles.

Written condolences may be sent to Rep. John Lewis and his son, John Miles Lewis at 2015 Wallace Road, Atlanta, Georgia 30331.